A couple have slammed a property developer after their £300,000 dream home turned into a living "swamp" nightmare plagued by drainage issues.
Paddy Harper, 30, and his girlfriend, from Midlothian, Scotland, said they were over the moon to finally move into the property after they faced delays with the new Bellway Summerville Gardens estate in August 2022. But their happiness was cut short after their back garden was struck by flooding during their first winter in the new home. Paddy, who is a crime scene examiner, said they were hit with disastrous conditions when the water streamed down a hill from a farmer's land at the rear of their home.
Since then, the couple have been battling with downpours despite calling on the provider, Bellway, to fix the issue. He explained: “When we first moved in there were always patchy bits and mud and it seemed to get wetter and wetter whenever it rained. The build up was constant and we raised the issue but they just blamed us. None of the gardens on our street look particularly great but it seems as though our garden and our neighbour's garden are particularly impacted by flooding. Bellway sent out someone to assess the damage but the contractor claimed that the issue was caused by us not raking our leaves.
Paddy Harper says he has been left to 'suffer' at his new home (EdinburghLive)“When we try to rake the leaves we end up taking up the grass due to how wet it is. In October/November 2022 we had a full on flood through our garden and next door’s. Water was flowing down like a river from the back fields and past our house. Basically they haven’t taken good enough measures to deal with the drainage at the back of the estate.
“The gardens haven’t been properly rotivated but more worrying than that, extreme amounts of water build up on the other side of our back fence. This then spreads to our garden which basically has rendered it unusable since we moved in. They have promised works to fix the issue but have repeatedly made excuses for it not being done. They seem to have just moved onto other sites where they can make more money and have left us to suffer in a swamp.
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“It’s a full on flood. They didn’t take into account that everything on the back row of the estate slopes towards the back right of our garden. They dug a couple of trenches but didn’t actually install drainage so those trenches just filled with water whenever it rained. That is now running across our garden and approaching our house. They told us the trenches would be extended and an actual drainage pipe installed to lead the water away but that was two months ago and nobody has been to the site since.
The couple said items are constantly sinking in their garden (EdinburghLive)“Bellway has been absolutely shocking. They’ve made so many excuses, even blaming the poor weather for not being able to come out to fix the issue, but the poor weather doesn’t seem to stop them from building more houses and cashing in. We have paid over £300,000 for a swamp. It feels like they have just taken our money and now washed their hands of us.”
Paddy says that there can be several inches of water built up in his back garden due to the flooding problem. He invited an engineer out to his home to assess the issue and claims they found a serious flood risk coming from the higher ground behind his home, reports Edinburgh Live. The homeowner said they looked into selling their home as they had become fed up. However, they are essentially trapped by rising mortgage rates and the fact they would struggle to sell the home until the drainage issues are rectified.
“The experience should have been filled with excitement but the shine has been completely removed. We cannot get out and enjoy our garden, in the height of summer if you try to put a chair down it just sinks into the ground. We can’t let our pets out there either as everything just gets churned up. We feel like we are trapped in our own home as it is a swamp back there. We have not been able to have a housewarming party as no one can go into the back garden. Whenever we have tried to ask for help the attitude from Bellway has been shocking. We paid them for this house and they treat us like a nuisance if we raise an issue.
“They claim they are a five star builder but they have treated us like scum. If they showed remorse and got the problem fixed then we would be more understanding. We will never buy a new build again and I warn my friends and colleagues not to do so either. The whole experience has been a nightmare.”
Paddy says the flooding has taken place over several years (EdinburghLive)A Bellway spokesperson apologised for the ordeal and said they will take action to recitfy the issue as soon as possible. They told the publication: "The UK has been facing extremely high rainfall this winter and spring. The flooding has occurred due to the property backing on to fields, where excess rainfall is running off the fields into the garden of the property.
"A drainage ditch has been dug to stop this happening (see attached). It was always our intention to tie this ditch into a positive drainage system to avoid it filling up and having the potential to overspill down the hill. Unfortunately, however due to excessive wet weather we have been unable to complete these works over the last few months. It is our intention to complete this as soon as we get a break in the weather and conditions dry up suitably for us to do so. We apologise for any inconvenience caused to the homeowner but this will be resolved as soon as possible."
The Mirror has contacted Bellway Homes for comment.
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